Jim Harbaugh’s chilly approach: He won’t discuss the Green Bay weather, but the 49ers are built for this, anyway

Wasn’t at 49ers HQ today, but watched Jim Harbaugh’s presser on CSN Bay Area and yes he continued to avoid lengthy discussion about the 49ers’ upcoming playoff game in Green Bay on Sunday, especially one particular aspect of it.

He wants no part of talking about the frigid Green Bay weather–forecasts are for single-digit temperatures and probably snow at Lambeau Field, only getting colder as the game goes on.

Now, we know Harbaugh never gets into lengthy discussions about anything related to tactics or match-ups or anything other than
relative mightiness, but on this topic, he seems even more determined to shut it down.

And you can understand why he’s frowning at any talk of having to adjust everything to the prospect of bitter cold this weekend. You’d imagine that Harbaugh is partly doing this because he doesn’t want his players’ minds preoccupied with…

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1) Something they can’t control, so they might as well just prepare to play a normal football game, whatever the weather;

As Harbaugh said today about prepping for any road game: “Take our best players, we’ll go to Green Bay, and see if we can beat their best players.”

Simple as that.

2) Something that might get them worried now and then when they step into the cold might partially overwhelm them;

It’s football, involving blocking, tackling, concentration and execution, and the Packers have to play in the cold, too.

3) And something that the 49ers are built to handle, anyway.

They’re not a dome team, they’re not a footloose finesse team that can only operate when the track is fast and the air is still and warm.

They’re a physical, run-first offense, which translates to any surface and any temperature–the 49ers ran the ball 54.77% of their offensive snaps, virtually tied with the No. 1-highest percentage in the NFL, Seattle’s 54.79%.

And they’re a power defense, which, of course, translates to any game situation on any week in any stadium.

They were 6-2 on the road this regular season, 5-3 on the road last season with another victory on the road in the NFC Championship Game, 6-2 on the road in 2011.

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Add it up, and the 49ers are 18-7 on the road (including the playoff victory) in the Harbaugh era. If you want to throw out this year’s London game, which was listed as a Jacksonville home game but really was a neutral-site game, it’s 17-7.

The 49ers are a great, great road team.

Still, despite Harbaugh’s extreme desire not to add to it, this will continue to be an interesting topic for conversation, at least, since this will be the coldest game of Harbaugh’s 49ers tenure, by far.

(The previous coldest being the victory in New England in December 2012, which was just above freezing at kick-off and was quite cold, I can testify.)

He doesn’t want the game to be about the cold and he has a team that won’t be levelled by it, probably, and he is going to do his best to keep the rhetoric as far away from it as possible.

Here’s how Harbaugh has addressed the topic when asked on Monday and today…

–HARBAUGH snippets today (from a transcript provided by 49ers PR)/

-Q: You played in a lot of cold-weather games. What’s your advice to Colin Kaepernick in terms of throwing the ball in cold weather?

-HARBAUGH: He’ll be fine. He’s played up in Reno. They had some cold weather games there, cold and windy.

-Q: Your team’s been a pretty good road team. Is there anything that defines a good road team other than just being a good team anywhere? Is there any characteristic or mental quality to that?

-HARBAUGH: I’m sure there is. At this point where we stand we’re not trying to explain or answer those questions in detail. Keeping it simple. Take our best players, we’ll go to Green Bay, and see if we can beat their best players.

-Q: Is that an explanation though? Keeping it simple? That not a lot of bells and whistles, you just kind of play a very basic, be able to play a very basic game of football.

-HARBAUGH: I’m just boiling it down Barney-style for myself. And, we’ll take that approach and see if it works.

Q: It’s perceived by some that a west coast team going to Green Bay is at a disadvantage. Is that a challenge you welcome?

-HARBAUGH: Is it? I mean, do you have some study on that?

-Q: Well, because you’re a west coast team, you’re practicing today in 60-degree weather. A lot of people think you’re going to be at a disadvantage when it’s 10 degrees at Lambeau Field.

-HARBAUGH: I don’t know the study that you’re referring to.

-Q: No study.

-HARBAUGH: Just a tangible thought, or just a … ?

-Q: Well, yeah, warm-weather team going to a cold-weather site. A lot of people think that might be a tough adjustment, no?

-HARBAUGH: I think you have my quote on that. We’re going to take our best players and see if we can go beat their best players.

—And to refresh your memory, here is how Harbaugh handled the weather questions on Monday/

-Q: Is there any way to prepare for the cold weather?

-HARBAUGH: I don’t know. If there is a way. Is there a way to prepare for the cold weather?

-Q: You’re the coach. You’re in charge of preparing the team.

-HARBAUGH: (No answer.)

-Q: Is cold weather a factor? You guys haven’t played a playoff game in super-cold weather.

-HARBAUGH: I think we’ll play when we play, where we play, who we play. What the weather’s like won’t control how we play–we’ll play hard, keep our bodies warm by playing hard.

So…. its going to be cold for the packers too. And the 49ers have a better run game and better defense. Green Bay is without Clay Mathews, and Rodgers has a recently broken shoulder and a poor offensive line. Combine that with the cold and I like our chances.

Bigmouth

GB’s running game is legit this year, though Lacey does have a bum ankle.

Tim

Regardless, the 49ers run game and offensive line is superior.

sc42

Better but they feasted on bottom 5 run defenses. The last time they played a good run D was Detroit. Lacy had 10 carries for 16 yards.

Coach_Rick_Vice

Yeah it will be cold for the Packers too but they have acclimated to the weather. There is no way in hell, the 49ers could acclimate to that type of extreme weather unless they practice in a giant deep freezer!

MKEBM929

Yes, it is going to be cold for them too, but they’ve been practicing and playing in this for quite some time now.
I think our D has played better this season without Clay, not that our secondary is stellar by any regards, but I don’t see him being out as a huge difference maker. Rodgers looked fine last week in the cold if you ask me, shaking off some rust, but he commanded that offense pretty well, and our O line, well yeah, you’re right, but they’ve gotten us to the playoffs. Here’s to hoping!

But if Harbough is thinking Sunday is comparable to “he’s played in Reno, its been cold and windy” he’s gonna be in for a surprise when they walk out to <5 degrees, and likely bottoming out lower than -10 during the game, without the windchill..